By The Wings
by awanderingreader
Summary: For years, Charlie Parker and Sam Wilson have been inseparable. They've been partners in the Air Force, at Veterans Affairs, with the Avengers, and in life. Until Thanos ripped them apart.
1. Chapter 1

**2022**

"Ya know it's not even eleven yet?"

"And half the world is dead. What other facts you got for me Rogers?" She took another long pull of her beer, staring out the window behind the bar, still not making eye contact with the Captain.

"He wouldn't want to see you like this."

"That's bullshit and you know it. If he was here, he'd be pouring the drinks." That got a slight chuckle from Steve.

"Maybe you should come to some of the meetings. It might help."

Charlie tensed up, memories from another war briefly flooding her brain before she stopped them with another gulp of alcohol. "I've been to enough of those but thanks Cap."

"Well what if you just talk to me, friend to friend." Steve reached for and cracked open one of the beers sitting on the bar. Charlie was pretty much a regular now and therefore ordered beers three at a time. And really, when half the world was just gone because of a literal snap of the fingers, who really cared much for rules?

She had gone through all of the phases of grief; she kind of stayed in the stage of drowning everything in alcohol and distancing herself from those she loved that were still here. It was just easier this way. She was over talking. She did enough of that when she finished with the Air Force. She did enough of that when she went to group meetings at the VA. She did and heard enough of that when she started working at the VA. She did enough of that after the events in New York, and D.C., and Sokovia and Berlin, and Wakanda. Talking about all the bad almost made it hard to hold onto all the good.

* * *

_***Flashback***_

_Charlie walked slowly around base, enjoying the early morning quiet. Small tinkering noises here as others prepared for the day ahead. She sipped her coffee, if you could even call it that. She'd stop at the nearest diner and chug a full pot of coffee the moment she was stateside. The coffee may be sludge but it definitely didn't stop her from drinking three cups a day, minimum. It was routine at this point and kept her sane. It also guaranteed no one stole her Goonies mug._

_The Air Force may be family, but that family is not above stealing mugs from one another, especially one from the movie they all apparently watched as children. More importantly, the mug was given to her by her little brother before she was deployed and she'd be damned if anyone was gonna get their hands on it._

_Usually she was the only one wandering around the base, at least the only one up and having no specific job to do quite this early. She loved the early morning quiet most of any time of the day. It was dead silent but the only noises were the small ones. Almost like they're were afraid to completely ruin how quiet it was because they knew how loud it could and eventually would be._

_Today was different._

_Because on this day, she wasn't alone in the early morning. At least for once she wasn't the only one crazy enough to wake up even earlier than they already do for shifts._

_Charlie didn't really mean to stare. It was just supposed to be a quick glance, maybe a friendly smile if there was unintentional, slightly awkward eye contact. But then she got distracted by his arms. And she really had no shame about it either. She couldn't see what book he was reading but she found herself deeply interested in the taste in literature this stranger has. He was sitting on the ground leaning against the hangar and Charlie was trying really hard not to think about how the early morning sun was shining perfectly on him and she was trying really hard to keep her eyes from not scanning him up and down._

_But that didn't work._

_Especially when she was bringing her eyes back up and saw that he noticed her. He had a slight smirk on his face but it wasn't one of those smirks that read 'I just saw you checking me out and yes I know I'm hot' kind of smirks. He lifted his book up, in a sort of salute-like form of acknowledgement._

_She smiled, tipped her mug to him, slowly pivoted and walked away towards her barracks to change. The image of the man's smile… and arms, burned in her brain._

* * *

_"So you must be Goonie."_

_Charlie looked up from her papers, to see a blonde, tanned and toned man in a grey US Air Force, not unlike half the guys walking around the base. But she was sure she had never formally met or at the very least seen this guy._

_"Excuse me?"_

_"Oh right! I'm Riley." he extended his hand as he sat on the bench across from her. The giant smile on his face left her even more confused because it was one that she recognized as a smile you give to someone you know, a former classmate, recent acquaintance, not necessarily own you get from someone you don't know. Charlie hesitantly shook the offered hand._

_"Look I'm very good with faces so I'm 99% sure he haven't met before and—" She interrupted herself remember the comment made earlier. "Did you call me Goonie?"_

_He chuckled before answering, "Yeah that's your callsign." He said it like it was obvious, something that had been well established, as if it probably just slipped her mind. But didn't the person with the callsign have to be told what their callsign is? Or at least be told in a more grandeur way?_

_"Oh!" Not much stunned Charlie. She knew about callsigns, she just didn't expect to find out hers in a way that made it seem like she should already know what it is. "I wasn't aware."_

_Across the table, she could see that Riley was studying her and it made her feel a little out of it. Had she not been on an air force base she's be looking around for a camera, clearly this was some practical joke right? She internally shook her head and focused back to trying to find out who the hell this guy was._

_"So who are you and how do you know my callsign?"_

_"I'm Riley."_

_Charlie couldn't have rolled her eyes harder._

_"Yes so I didn't exactly mean 'Who are you?' as in your name, I meant why are you over here, giving me a callsign, and acting like we know each other when I can't recall ever meeting you."_

_"So here's the thing." He leaned in like he was gonna tell her a secret, and right now she would be surprised if this was a big 'take over the world' kind of secret because it all just felt very surreal to begin with. "My buddy saw you the other day and literally won't shut up about you. He doesn't know your name, only what you look like, that you're also in the air force, obviously, and that you gave a Goonies coffee mug. So I decided to be his wingman and it just so happened you are all those things and I saw the mug and well," He put his hands out as if presenting an award. "Goonie."_

_'It's better than getting the callsign Chunk.' Charlie thought as she squinted her eyes, trying to process all of those while thinking back to the multitude of men on base that could've seen her mug, which after seven weeks of being on base was literally all of them?_

_"Uh-huh. And does this friend have a name?"_

_"Sam Wilson."_

* * *

She realized she had spaced off a bit, just staring at her bottle while Steve patiently waited next to her.

Charlie gave a slight smile before whispering, "Ok." She turned to dig around in the pocket of her jacket laying on the barstool next to her. Pulling out a small box and slowly placing it on the glossy wood surface. "I found this when I went back to Wakanda three years ago. I couldn't even tell you why I went back there or what I was looking for but this was in the back of his drawer. I kind of blacked out on every intention I had before I found this."

Tears started to pool in her eyes and she took a shuddering breath. Steve just sat quietly, listening as his friend finally fell apart after the long five years she'd spent ignoring her feelings and bottling everything up. Shoving her all encompassing sadness that threatened to drown her, so far down that she could pretend she was fine.

"They're all just gone. Everyone we loved. Just gone. And we're just supposed to move on? That's bullshit." Charlie began to pick the label of her beer bottle. "You know I used to wonder what we did that we got to live. Why were we the ones that got to survive that snap. Why were we lucky. But now? Now I get it. We weren't the lucky ones. We're the ones being punished because we have to live without everyone we love. Maybe they only had to suffer for a few seconds. Maybe they only felt pain those couple of breaths. But I have felt nothing but a stabbing in my heart the last five years. An emptiness I can't shake.

"It's been five years and I still find myself forgetting. Sometimes I wake up thinking he's just gone on a mission. And then I remember and I fucking hate that feeling." She glared at the simple velvet box. As if it was the reason for all the turmoil she felt, and really it was to blame for some of it. "I was fine until I found that. Or at least I could pretend that I was. But that, that broke me. And all I can think about is how everything was ripped from me, from all of us. And I have never felt so completely helpless in my entire life. And I don't know how to cope with that.

"If I talk about it, then I'm acknowledging it and that just feels like I'm drowning and I can't be in that place. I just can't. So I have to not talk about it. And I have to sit here and have a beer or two at ten in the morning. The other option is more destructive and I can't do that to what's left of my family." Charlie had tears streaming down her face, she pushed her beer aside, resting her arms on the bar and her head on her arms, she faced Steeve for the first time. "We all need each other but I just can't talk about this. Not yet." She took a deep breath and quietly begged Steve to understand her even though she felt like she wasn't making much sense, "Please."

Steve could only nod as emotion clogged his throat, making him unable to reply verbally, he pulled her in for a hug. Trying to give comfort to the girl he thought of as a sister, his heart shattering with hers.

While she had already felt her heart ripped right out of her chest the day she watched him turn to dust right before her eyes. Finding the diamond ring made her watch her entire future and what could've been disappear in an instant.

Had Thanos not destroyed everything she loved, Sam Wilson would've proposed.

Charlie would've said yes.

* * *

_So this is the first story and I'm incredibly nervous cause fiction isn't my normal thing. So feedback is welcome and appreciated!_


	2. Chapter 2

_After three weeks of sneaky glances, accidental eye contact, and shy salutes of mugs and nods, Charlie finally buckled and approached Sam._

_She found him sitting on the ground leaned up against the hanger, book in hand. With her coffee mug in hers, she sat next to him, chuckling softly as she startled him._

"_Whatcha reading?" As she asked, she leaned over to try and catch a glimpse of a page, very much in his personal space but that was just kind of a Parker trait._

_She got a glimpse of the creepy cat on the cover of a Stephen King novel._

_Trying to cover her distaste, she smiled._

"_Oh cool!" Taking a quick sip of her coffee, she extended her hand, "I'm Charlie, or apparently Goonie, but you probably knew that considering... uh... Riley...? Gave me that callsign based on what he heard from you. You're Sam, right?"_

_Sam just stared at her for a few seconds, a soft smile on his face, one of admiration as she rambles a bit. He reached for her hand and smiled bigger at the warm squeeze, "Yeah. I'm Sam."_

"_So why are you reading a horror novel? Would've expected something a little more up-beat."_

"_Gets my mind off being here."_

"_Ya know, I never understood why people say that." Sam quirked an eyebrow, not offended but interested in where she was going with this. "I mean, it's not like we were drafted; for the most part, we all chose to be here because we wanted to be here. I mean, I guess unless you felt like you had no other option, like going to college or even a job and military was the only thing you felt you could contribute to." She looked over at Sam and wanted to continue but the smile growing on his face stopped her. It was a smile like he had a secret she wasn't in on._

"_I meant like being here in general. In the world."_

"_Oh." She internally cringed it her rambling rant in which she kind of offended this beautiful man who she just finally got the courage to actually speak words to. "Well I should probably go."_

_Sam reached out before she could even make a move to get up, "You don't have to leave. I liked the rambling."_

_Charlie was not a blusher._

_She wasn't. Of course she got embarrassed but she did not blush. Especially in front of men._

_But she was sure she felt her cheeks turn bright red and flash hot right then._

* * *

"_Hey, did you guys hear about the new program?"_

_Over the last month, Charlie had come to learn a lot about Riley, mainly that he almost refused to have any normal greeting when starting a conversation, he just got straight to whatever point he wanted to get that she minded, she found it endearing but liked teasing him about it just as much._

"_Hello Riley, I'm doing great today, how are you?" She asked with a playful smirk._

_He just rolled his eyes in response, next to Charlie, Sam chuckled._

_As cheesy as it sounds, the three of them had become some version of the three musketeers, once Charlie introduced herself to Sam and they officially actually started speaking to each other and acknowledging each other, Riley took that as a sign that they were now a friend group and there any free time on base, you could usually find the three of them crowded around a table._

"_Yeah, okay, the new program? You guys heard of it?"_

_Charlie shook her head and looked at Sam to see if he had any clue as to what Riley was talking about, "No but I'm sure you're about to tell us, you gossip."_

_Anything that went on around base that wasn't strictly Air Force related, Riley somehow always managed to find it out. Not that Charlie was complaining, his gossip helped the slow times go by quicker._

_Riley leaned in towards Charlie and Sam, heavily implying that this was a very hush-hush gossip and not just typical shooting-the-shit gossip, so they leaned in as well. "Apparently, it's called the Falcon Project." He looked both ways as if someone was going to sneak up and listen in on what he was saying._

_There was a pause in which they all just stared at each other._

"_Okay, and…?"_

"_And what?"_

"_That's it? That's all you have? Falcon project?" Charlie looked at him confused._

"_Yeah, what more do you want?"_

"_Um, details dude! Right now that could mean anything! For all we know that just means they're trying to plan how to watch the Atlanta Falcons when football starts up in a few weeks."_

_Riley's jaw dropped, clearly offended that Charlie wasn't as interested in this small piece of gossip that had him so excited. "You're not impressed? You're not curious?" She shook her head. "Come on, Sam, tell her it sounds cool!"_

"_Don't try and talk me into understanding your crumb of information! Like she said Falcon could be anything!"_

"_I can't believe I come to you guys with top secret information and you can't even pretend to be just a tenth as excited as I am!" Riley truly looked like a kid who just overheard what his parents got him for Christmas. "Fine, I'm keeping my ears open for more information but when this becomes an official cool project and you two are dying to be a part of it, I'll remind you of this moment when you doubted Riley." Riley's dramatics were another thing Charlie had come to know and love about his personality. "I'll also only accept apologies over your doubt in alcohol so you better start saving bar money now, assholes." With that he got up and walked away._

"_You really think it's nothing?" She detected just a slight bit of curiosity in his voice, the kind that signaled just a little bit of hope in what Riley was talking about might come to be something._

_Charlie considered it, mostly because while she was teasing Riley, she did feel a little bad for busting his bubble so quickly, but Charlie was also a skeptic, she couldn't believe in something without more information. "I think he doesn't have enough information yet for me to believe it's anything more than nothing."_

* * *

Charlie looked around the room, realizing she had drifted off into the past. That happened a lot in the quiet. And it was always quiet.

Which maybe is to be expected when the world gets cut in half.

Half the people, half the voices.

Half the cars, half the birds.

Half the music, half the life.

Half the crime.

Half the heroes.

There was just a lot of silence all the time it seemed.

She was sitting in what had been her Aunt May's apartment. It was mostly empty now. Charlie kept the furniture but after a year had passed, she couldn't stand looking at all the personal belongings strewn around anymore and packed them reminders of what her family used to be and what life would never be like again.

At first, she was determined to keep everything as it was. Keep Peter's room a mess, a spider suit half tucked away into the back of his closet, class schedules taped to the fridge.

But it was the photos that got to her eventually.

Photos of her and Peter as kids, with Aunt May and Uncle Ben, with her parents. Photos of her and Sam that May had forced Charlie to send her to be framed. It was the whole wall of photos of people that were no longer there.

That was what overwhelmed her enough into such a deep depression that Rodey broke the door down after no one had heard from her in weeks and her phone kept going straight to voicemail.

After sitting with her for a few hours, first just sitting and then making sure she had enough water and food for him to be satisfied, well into the early hours of the morning, he called Steve and Natasha. And the four of them together, packed away the deeply personal items away.

At first she thought it was gonna hurt too much, irritate her over the small talk or the moving in more silence. But they helped her cope. They helped each other cope.

Or at least pretend to cope.

Which was maybe more than she had been doing.

* * *

**Hey y'all!**

**Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, added this story to alerts! I appreciate all of it especially since this is the first time I've dived into fiction.**

**So I can't promise there won't be this big of a gap between chapters normally, definitely wasn't my plan to be posting two months later. I'm just trying to get into a grove, I kinda have this story very vaguely mapped out with scenes written here and there but I promise to update more regularly than this. Let me know if there's anything you want to see! **

**_Constructive_ feedback is welcome and appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm still trying to figure out how I want to put this story together, that's something normal authors say at the beginning of a third chapter of a story right? Mostly my idea for this story was going back and forth between the present (which would be in that five year gap in Endgame) and past (which right now is very pre-CA: TWS) without fully going through all the movies Charlie would be a part of (every movie Sam is in, Charlie would be in.) So essentially, each chapter is a vignette. Basically what I'm getting at is, the long gap between publishing chapters is me trying to figure out which piece of the MCU puzzle should be introduced where. Anyway, long story short, I am working on this at all times in the gaps between posting, please feel free to let me know any thoughts or ideas you want to see in the comments or on tumbr (hrhatbat and the story tag is fic:by the wings, there's edits and some blurbs also!)**

* * *

In the time between The Snap and packing up the apartment, Charlie found herself missing her brother intensely. Being an older sister, and a really great one at that, was something she took pride in. When The Snap happened, she'd had no idea where Peter was.

She stayed in Wakanda for a week afterwards, trying to get everything under control, or at least a semblance of control. Of course she had tried calling Peter and May, but the world was at a standstill, phone lines weren't working and she wasn't sure if she couldn't get through to her family, who were an ocean away, because everything was chaos or because they weren't there to answer the phone. God had she hoped it was the former.

Upon getting back to New York, she quickly found it was the latter.

More of her family just gone.

She pieced together May had been in the middle of doing laundry during the snap, based on the baskets strewn in the hallway, sheets off the bed and ending up molding in the washing machine.

It took her much longer to figure out where Peter had been. She hoped he had at least been with his friends, she clutched onto that for a while considering they were gone too and so there was no way to confirm that thought. But then one day she was sitting on the floor, leaning against his bed, something she did often when she just wanted the comfort of familiarity, when she noticed his closet doors were wide open. That wasn't the unusual part, it was what wasn't in the closet that was unusual.

His suit was gone.

The spidey suit he got from Tony that was normally just tucked in the back of the closet was gone, only his old pajamaja suit was peeking out from the depths of t-shirts.

And that's when she decided she needed to talk to one Tony Stark because she had a feeling he would know where her brother had been when the world went dark.

* * *

On a cloudy, brisk afternoon, Charlie pulled up to a cabin in the woods just off a lake. It was beautiful and peaceful and she almost wondered why she hadn't moved to a place like this after everything too. It was probably the idea of moving away and losing the few people she still had left.

She saw him sitting at the end of the dock, his legs dangling off, she headed towards him and copied his position as she sat beside him.

He bumped her shoulder with his and nodded with a soft smile, "Charlotte."

"Tony." She glanced at him briefly, then looked out at the lake and then admired the trees.

They sat there for a while, maybe thirty minutes before Charlie could get to the point of her being there. Although, she had called ahead. Afterall, she needed the address and directions and didn't want to show up completely unannounced. They both knew why she was there, the kind of closure she wanted. But it was a lot more difficult to bring up than she intended.

Tony seemed to understand her need for time so they sat there in their silence, save for the wind that moved the tree branches around, the sounds from the birds flying over head, and the water lapping against the dock.

He understood the need to want to put off a topic that brought a sharp pain to their hearts.

"I saw the suit was gone." Charlie could feel the lump form in her throat almost immediately. "The suit wasn't in his room and so I just had this… hope? That maybe if the suit was gone, he was still safe, still alive. Just not _here_."

Tony just nodded because he didn't know what kind of response to give otherwise. He didn't know what it was like to lose someone and then have the hope that they weren't really lost, only to find out that you have to accept the loss.

"Was he scared?"

Charlie was sure she knew the answer and she was afraid of it. She was afraid of the words that were about to come out of Tony's mouth and the pained look that would be on his face. Because Charlie knew how much Tony cared for her brother and she couldn't even begin to imagine the pained look on his face and the complete obliteration of her heart that she would feel in the moment he faded away.

"No. No, it happened so fast, he felt nothing."

She knew he was lying. There was a hitch in his voice and his lip twitched a little. But she appreciated the lie, appreciated that Tony cared so much as to try and save her the pain. Even though she could see right through it.

So she played along. Biting her lip to hold back a sob as her eyes watered. She nodded and inhaled deeply as she turned back to the lake. She thought about just jumping in and letting the water swallow her, it had to be better than the pain that was doing so.

"Tony! Charlotte! Dinner's ready!" Pepper's voice carried from the front porch, breaking her thoughts.

Charlie looked behind her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Pepper's rather large bump as she turned, and smiled a bit.

"She's got her mom voice down."

* * *

"Hey, before you go, I want to show you something."

Charlie raised her eyebrows at Tony and followed him as he led the way to his garage/shed that was just a few yards from the house. He opened the door and flipped the light on and Charlie immediately smirked seeing all the metal projects strewn around the room, like a mini version of his workshop, what she imagined a start-up engineer's shed might look. She was sure Pepper knew Tony was still creating and building but let him have his small getaway.

"So before..." Tony gestured wildly with his hands, signalling to Charlie that he was talking about the awful terribleness a few months back. "Peter asked me to help him make something." Charlie's brows knitted together as she watched him walk around the table. "For you."

"Me? What could he possibly need your help with making something for me?" She crossed her arms, a little uncomfortable at the thought of a gift, she had trouble accepting things from other people, even her brother. "Unless it's a robot that's gonna dust my apartment, then I'm just gonna be mad you didn't tell me sooner." God did she hate dusting.

She saw Tony smirk and her comment surprised herself a bit at how she slipped into the banter, that had become common before _everything_, rather easily, in the time that Tony had taken Peter under his wing so to speak, he had also become somewhat of an older brother to Charlie as well.

"I'll add it to your Christmas list," Tony quipped with a playful roll of his eyes and then his face grew a little more serious as he pulled out a holograph of drawings, scribbles, and plans. "It's a suit."

She stared back dumbly, her brain not comprehending, "A suit?"

"An Avengers suit." Tony nodded and gave a soft chuckle. "The kid thought you deserved a suit since you've 'been an Avenger longer' than he has."

In that moment, Charlie covered her mouth with her hand, a smile coming up on her face but a sob coming out of her mouth. She could picture exactly the look of determination on Peter's face as he approached Tony with the idea that if he had a superhero suit, his big sister deserved one too. Like when they were kids and he would run around the house with a cape made from a bath towel that Uncle Ben tied around his neck for him while insisting Charlie needed one too. '_She's the hero, I'm the sidekick, so she needs the cape more than me!' _God did she miss her little brother and his big heart.

Looking at the rough sketches, Charlie noticed the suit was all black, touches of silver minimal. She smiled at the small inclusion of her air force pilot wings that looked like it was supposed to be a patch on her right arm. She chuckled quietly at the notation of pockets '_because it has to be a practical suit or she won't wear it_' written off to the side.

"The plans were pretty much finished, just had to figure out the wings."

She had trouble looking away from the notes written in his sloppy teen boy handwriting, appreciating the image she conjured up in her brain of Peter furiously scribbling his notes down.

"Wings?"

"Well yeah." Tony said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You were a pilot in the Air Force, it would only make sense that your suit has wings so you could fly."

She was sure her heart stopped beating.

Her lungs definitely stopped filtering air.

Her brain emptied.

And she wanted to sob all at the same time.

She conjured up images of her and Sam flying next to each other on missions, images that would never have a chance of becoming reality.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and let me know if there's anything you want to see! ****_Constructive_ feedback is welcome and appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey y'all. Long time no updates, real life ya know? Since it's been a while, I'm giving you a longer chapter than I normally manage, and we're introducing the captain america: winter soldier timeline because that's where my muse took me! **

* * *

_2011_

"_What we are about to discuss is top secret and cannot, under any circumstances leave this room." Sergeant Harkins"You all are the best of the best in the air national guard and we will be picking two from this group to be part of a classified mission."_

_Charlie looked to her left at Riley, who had a 'told you so' look on his face and mouthed "Falcon" at her and Sam. Looking around the operations room, usually used for squad mission briefings, Charlie noted about 50 people from the 563rd Rescue Group were squeezed into the room. A mix of a few from each of the squadrons that were stationed at the base. Sam, Riley, and Charlie, pushed up against the wall, lined up shoulder to shoulder as they were one of the last few to shuffle into the room. _

_They had been rounded up, in the middle of a friendly game of black jack between the three of them, by a senior ranking staff sergeant, told they were needed for a briefing and were told nothing more. No matter how many times Charlie asked. _

_A photo popped up on the screen, they looked like two jet packs, something you'd see in comic books but never expect in real life. She wished she could tell Peter about what she was seeing. The next slide was a video, a man, who looked familiar but Charlie couldn't seem to place him, came in frame, "Exo-7 Falcon test 37."_

_Placing one of the packs on his back, he pushed a button and it took every ounce of her self control not to jump in surprise when the massive metal wings unfolded from the sides of the pack. While she had no idea what to expect from this meeting, that certainly hadn't even been on radar. She looked to her right, raising her eyebrows at Sam, who looked just as surprised yet confused as she felt._

_And then the man flew into the sky and Charlie found herself leaning forward as if she would somehow get a better view, surely her eyes were deceiving her and she wasn't actually seeing a man fly with wings. _

_She tried so hard to keep her jaw from dropping but she felt herself abundantly blinking as if her brain was trying to clear away a delusion she was convinced she was seeing._

"_Exo-7 Falcon is experimental. We currently have two in existence and should we have successful deployments, we could soon have a full rescue group. For now, you all will be evaluated and we will assign two paratroopers to test pilot the final working prototype deemed usable by the Air Force." Harkins paused, looking around the room. "A few of you will still be part of the missions without wearing the wings, of course, but this will be a secret mission special ops group. So none of this information leaves this room. While this will include dangerous missions unrelated to your regular group's assignments, everyone outside of this room will be told that the selected team hasbeen given a need to know assignment and no further information given._

"_Decisions will be made in the coming weeks. Dismissed."_

_As the Sergeant walked out, it seemed as though everyone else was still trying to process what they had just seen and been told, no one moving for what felt like five minutes before the first pilot made the move to leave. _

_Sam, Charlie, and Riley filed out, the three following each other to a secluded spot on base near the empty hangars. _

"_Holy shit." Charlie breathed out._

"_So when do I get to hear the 'You were right Riley. We're sorry we didn't believe you Riley. We never should've doubted your intelligence Riley!'" He smirked as he crossed his arms, looking at the two who doubted him just days ago._

_Sam rolled his eyes, "We apologize for doubting your eavesdropping skills." His tone sounding less than apologetic._

"_I'll accept that." Riley accepted with a nod, looked around to double check there wasn't anyone around that was trying to surpass his listening skills, "So who do you think will get picked?"_

"_It seems like we all have an equal chance but the question really is do you want to get picked?" Sam stared at the two standing in front of him. The trio hadn't voiced their thoughts out loud, but internally they were all intrigued by this opportunity. The chance to do some actual productive good thanks to secret missions._

_Charlie scuffed the toe of her boot on the ground, trying to look nonchalant as she looked down almost in an attempt to not feel embarrassed, "Flying would be pretty cool." She knew they knew what she meant, she was a pilot after all, she got the thrill of being in the air all the time. _

_But this kind of flying would be different, this would be her flying not her flying something else, no aircraft between her and the open sky. Isn't that what every kid dreamed of? If you could have any superpower what would it be? She'd always say the ability to fly. She was sure Riley said invisibility as a kid, no doubt._

_She was started out of her thoughts as Riley all but screamed, "Cool? It'd be fucking amazing!" He threw his arms around Sam and Charlie in excitement, the smile threatening to break his face it was so big. "Imagine the three of us, top secret missions, flying! With wings!"_

_His excitement was infectious and Charlie looked over to see Sam with a smile just as big. _

_However, Charlie couldn't help but make the note in her head that Riley seemed to be forgetting there were three of them and only two sets of wings._

* * *

_It was just about dark out now, the sun just setting behind the horizon, a haze of light turning the sky bright purple that darkened up to navy. Much like the early mornings, Charlie enjoyed this time of the day, at least on the non-mission days, for it's ambience. There were still pilots milling about, tinkering of planes being heard, guys making their way to the mess hall, laughing loudly. But it was a peaceful sort of noise, a quiet background murmur that was comforting as the lights outside around the base made their way on so they weren't thrown in complete darkness._

_She sat near a bay door that was open but seemed to be empty, enjoying the warm breeze as she flipped through one of the biographies she got from her most recent package from Peter._

_This one in particular was about Carol Danvers, the female pilot that ultimately inspired her to look into becoming one herself. Peter was always thoughtful with his packages, while Aunt May sent her baked goods and letters keeping her updated on everything in Queens, Peter often included books and magazine and newspaper articles he knew she'd find as a good escape from reality. Usually Carol Danvers or Captain America related, sometimes comics sometimes wrote letters of clips he heard on the news about them. They had a love of superheroes. This book was the latest of many Carol Danvers biographies that had been published recently and therefore one she wanted to savor as it claimed to have new information about the mystery surrounding her disappearance._

_Charlie loved a good mystery and the story of Carol had always been one she found intriguing, like how some people couldn't get enough conspiracies and newspaper clippings about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, she could never consume enough information about her Air Force pilot idol._

"_Whatcha got there?" Charlie jumped a bit, startled by the smooth voice coming from her left, she had no idea Sam had made his way to her, she was so used to hearing clumsy footsteps in the Air Force issued boots, it made her wonder if Sam intentionally quieted them._

_She closed the book shut, only a chapter in, and placed her hands over it. "Um just a book my brother sent me." She wasn't sure why she thought it would be embarrassing to be caught reading the book, maybe because she knew because the Air Force was still a male-dominated organization and she knew there were still plenty of men that didn't think she belonged here, let alone to be a pilot._

_She knew Sam wasn't one of those men but it was just a habit._

"_What book?" Sam sat down next to her, back against the wall, knees bent, elbows resting on top, mirroring her own position. He seemed genuinely interested so she untucked the book from her lap and showed him the cover, the title in bold letters across the top over an old photo of Carol walking to her plane, 'Captain by Liz Proctor.' She saw his eyes light up in excitement and with that Charlie felt her excitement spike as well. "I love Carol Danvers!" She extended the book further towards him and he eagerly grabbed it, flipping the cover open to read the inside jacket summary._

"_She's my idol." Charlie said softly. "I think I've read everything about her. My brother knows how much I love her and the mystery surrounding her, he made sure to get on the waitlist for this book the moment it was announced. It's supposed to be like the most official telling of her story, the author got a ton of exclusive interviews and even managed to talk to Maria Rambeau and have her write the forward." She found herself talking faster and faster like she just couldn't get her mouth to keep up with the excitement in her brain. She felt encouraged to continue seeing Sam nod just as enthusiastically. "Her disappearance is just fascinating, like what happened to her? It's like Amelia Earhart but crazier because what if it involves the government, it is the Air Force, the 'it goes all the way to the top' aspect of it just makes it all the more compelling don't you think?"_

"_So which theory is your favorite?" By now they had both turned towards each other, creating their own little bubble. "Government? Alien abduction? Another bermuda triangle?"_

"_Alien abduction." Charlie replied quickly and confidently._

_Sam was waiting for her to laugh at her own joke before realising that was her real answer, "Oh shit! You're serious?"_

"_Ok so hear me out, not exactly aliens but definitely an abduction of some super-natural kind?" She took a breath, her and Peter had talked through a lot of theories in their years."I don't think it's green things with antennas or like a flying bigfoot kind of supernatural. But more like __**super**_ _as in something with super powers."_

_Sam nodded slowly, "Like Iron Man?" He wasn't mocking her at all, he just wanted to grasp the angle she was taking this theory, genuinely intrigued. For the longest time he simply believed Danvers just crashed somewhere remote with no way to communicate, it had flaws but it was the only thing he could consider that was based in the most logic._

"_More like Thor." A thoughtful look crossed Sam's face as he processed what she said. "I mean he's literally from a whole other world and just appeared. So who's to say Carol didn't just disappear to a new one? And is like, being brainwashed or held hostage?" Charlie said it slowly, almost like she still couldn't quite believe her own theory and sure brainwashing was a thing but she hated not having a 'why'— "I just refuse to believe this will be like Amelia Earheart and that we'll never know. I mean she was flying for the freaking Air Force, how did they just lose track of her and a government plane? How is it possible that their technology was less than or the same as the technology on Amelia's plane?"_

"_Honestly, it makes more sense than any of the other theories I've heard." Sam fiddled with the book still in his hands, picking at the cover just for something to do as he continued." No one else seems to care about the why and just accept that she's missing. You think the Air Force knows where she is?"_

_Charlie tried to contain her absolute thrill over having someone else to converse with about this theory. She just accepted that it would only ever have her little brother that she would trade, admittedly, outlandish conspiracy theories with, afterall he had a big imagination. Grateful for a serious conversation and not just an immediate dismissal that she was looking too much into this, she turned entirely toward him, legs criss crossed and leaning in._

"_Before, I gave them the benefit of the doubt, that maybe they just didn't have the technology to find her. But with Tony Stark around? There's fucking no way!"_

"_Ok so it goes all the way to the top, but why? Why wouldn't the Air Force say anything? Try to find her? She was one of the greatest pilots they've ever had." He shook his head as he tried to will a reason to shake from his brain._

_In reply, she gave a halfhearted shrug because she couldn't figure it out either, "Maybe they know where she is but don't know how to get to her? It's the one thing I can't seem to figure out, nothing truly makes sense, it all really sounds a conspiracy but she's out there." She got softer, "She has to be."_

_She wasn't truly why she was so adamant about it or why she desperately wanted to believe Danvers wasn't missing or even worse dead and gone. She knew whatever happened, it couldn't possibly be by choice, by now she's read so much about Carol that she felt she knew her well enough to know she wouldn't just go AWOL. In the back of her mind she thought maybe it was because it was a thought that occasionally creeped up when she was in the cockpit herself. _

_Would she go missing? Just disappear? Would anyone find her? Would anyone try?_

"_Maybe this book has more answers." Sam tried to sound positive._

"_Or more questions."_

_A short smile came across his face, showing that was more likely than his optimistic thinking. "Well, let me know what you find out." He handed the book back to her and then seemed_ _conflicted. _

_The conversation seemed to naturally end, mostly because they refused to address the slight awkwardness between them. The awkwardness that was really something more akin to uncertainty, there was an obvious attraction that felt mutual. Yet, neither acknowledged it outright just yet._

_She took the book back, not really wanting to turn away from him, she appreciated his company. And his smile._

"_Mind if I stay here while you read?" Sam asked quietly, almost shly, something she didn't necessarily associate with him._

"_Sure." She answered just as softly, trying desperately not to blush._

_He didn't even turn away as he said the next thing and she knew for sure the blush deepended to much to hide, "It's too nice of a night to go in just yet, the view is too good."_

_He smirked with his quickly grown confidence as he watched her smile grow, her eyes shining, She quickly looked down at her book, biting the bottom of her lip because she couldn't for the life of her get the smile that he gave off her face._

_And she didn't really want to either._

* * *

**2014**

It was a normal enough morning, they had the day off from going to the VA. They started off with a run, well Sam ran, Charlie preferred a leisure walk. Although there was a little part of her that was hoping just maybe Captain America would show up. She had been a little annoyed that Sam seemed to get all the interactions with him but yet he never showed up when Charlie was around.

She often teased Sam, telling him maybe he was just hallucinating the super hero they both looked up to.

After being challenged to a race, Charlie never backing down from a challenge even if she knew it was one she'd lose, the two headed home to change and move on with their day.

Pushing the door open and dropping the keys on the counter, Charlie moved to head up the stairs, getting out of her sweaty clothes. The D.C. heat making itself known as the sun rose higher into the sky on their walk back. "Don't drink from the carton!"

It was routine. Charlie would change clothes, Sam would start the coffee for her and then he'd grab some orange juice from the fridge, and like all men felt the need to do, would drink straight from the carton.

Not that Charlie truly minded, she didn't drink orange juice anyway, it just more or less became a habit.

"Less dishes!" She smirked as she heard Sam's reply yelled up the stairs. Walking into the closet, she traded her sweaty t-shirt and leggings for a clean replacement as she heard an urgent knock on their back door.

Even though they weren't expecting anyone, she knew Sam would still answer the door instead of just waiting for the person to walk away. Men.

She slowly made her way down the hall as she heard voices. Two voices in addition to Sam's, she thought she vaguely recognized but couldn't quite place.

"_We have nowhere else to go." _ She knew that voice! But in her house? She shook her head at herself, there was no way.

"_Everyone we know is trying to kill us."_

"_Not everyone…"_

She decided to make herself known and went the rest of the way down the stairs, only to stop in her tracks, stunned to see Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff standing in _her_ house. Her kitchen!

"Captain America," Charlie whispered in awe before shaking herself out of completely fangirling. "I mean, I'm Charlotte, Charlie actually. Parker. I'm Charlie Parker."

Charlie cleared her throat and refused to look in the direction of Sam, knowing he was in the process of containing his laughs. She took in their appearance, "Clothes, you guys probably want to change clothes, I'm gonna get those for you. And food. You guys eat right? I mean of course you do. I mean have you eaten today? You know what I'm gonna go get those clothes and then come back and make breakfast. So.. I'm gonna go do that." She turned to go up the stairs but turned back, as if to make sure Captain America and the Black Widow were really standing in her kitchen before sprinting back up the stairs.

She heard Sam speak up just before she got out of hearing range.

"Don't worry she's usually much cooler than that, she's just a big fan and also can't properly function without coffee."

"There are not one but _two_ Avengers in our house right now, how are you not flipping your shit right now?"

Sam smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, next to the stove where Charlie was waiting for a pan to heat up so she could make breakfast. Breakfast for two _Avengers_. "Because I'm a normal human."

Grabbing eggs and bacon from the fridge and setting them next to the stove, she moved to grab two more mugs from the cabinet just above the coffee maker and then remembered she should probably grab the cream from the fridge as well, just in case the duo upstairs didn't take their coffee black. She whipped her head back around to Sam.

"Bullshit." Charlie couldn't get the words out fast enough. "I was here that first morning you "_raced_" him remember? You looked like a little boy who met his hero."

"I did!"

"I thought Carol Danvers was your hero?"

"She is but Cap is more attainable, _obviously_." Charlie raised her eyebrows at Sam. "What?"

"Cap?"

"He's in our house hiding from assassins, I get to call him by his first name."

Charlie furrowed her brows and looked at him in confusion, "His first name is Steve."

"Well at least I can speak full sentences around him."

Charlie rolled her eyes because she really couldn't argue with that, her brain had practically melted to nothing when she walked into her kitchen with the only expectation of coffee.

"How do you think Captain America wants his eggs? Scrambled or sunny side up? And how many? Because he's huge and probably has super human digestion and so like is six even enough or is that the equivalent of one egg for us? Do you think the Black Widow eats toast? Because I think with a body like that, you probably avoid carbs," She was gesturing with her Goonies mug with every question, it was a wonder how the coffee sloshing around didn't end up in a puddle on the floor. "Although maybe she eats a lot of carbs because she works it all off with training."

At this point Charlie was just saying her thoughts out loud as Sam just stared at her, the look on his face full of love for this absolutely insane woman fangirling over two people, one of whom could most likely hear her with his super hearing. He could remind her of that but she had embarrassed herself enough this morning, she didn't need his help.

Even so, he couldn't help but chuckle as his heart soared even more as the excitement Charlie had grew.

"I have no idea what they eat but you cannot call them that to their faces."

"Relax I'm not going to, I just need to get it out of my system," Charlie cracked a few eggs into the sizzling pan. "Peter is gonna absolutely lose his mind when I tell him." Sam gave her a pointed look. "I don't mean I'm gonna tell him right this minute."

Sam raised an eyebrow, knowing these siblings were as close as any set of siblings could be, but especially when it came to idolizing the Avengers.

"I'm not!" Charlie said incredulously. She signed before continuing quietly, "I'll wait until his birthday like any good big sister would do."

* * *

**I did as much research into the air force, air national guard, and what group and squadrons are as well as which one Sam (and therefore Charlie and Riley) were in and tried to understand and include it in her to the best of my ability! Also I *think* I have an understanding of the MCU timeline Thor and Captain America was 2011, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was 2014, so my thinking is Sam and Charlie in the Air Force (specifically the scene talking about Carol) was between the first Thor movie and the first CA.**

**Let me know your thoughts!**


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